Ebisu (Sunset)
1283 9th Ave
(between Irving St & Lincoln Way)
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 566-1770
www.ebisusushi.com
Ebisu at SFO
Main Hall North Food Court, International Terminal
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 588-2549
Hotei Restaurant
1290 9th Avenue
(between Irving St & Lincoln Way)
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 753-6045
www.hoteisf.com
New Japanese restaurants have been springing up in the Sunset district, but Ebisu has remained a neighborhood favorite. After almost thirty years, owner Steve Fuji is giving his reign to son Eric Fuji.
One step through the front door, the smell of fresh fish permeates the room. Almost every night, the sushi bar is filled with satisfied customers exchanging smiles and jokes with the sushi chefs. The décor is meant to resemble a home.
Ebisu goes through a large volume of fish, keeping the ingredients very fresh. With buttery texture, the nigiri toro ($7.50) exemplifies why tuna belly is a prized commodity. Sprinkled with tobiko eggs, the double hamachi ($12.50) harmonizes the taste of perfectly seasoned rice with sea sweet fish. Highly recommended, the uni nigiri (sea urchin -$8) explodes with tones of creamy texture.
Brushed with a sweet glaze, the caterpillar roll ($9.50) adds double layers of buttery texture from avocados and eel. Roll number 5 (currently running a sushi contest-$10.00) is all about temperature contrast. Filled with albacore and maguro, the deep fried roll is accompanied with a sweet ‘n spicy curry mayo. Skip the tempura appetizer ($6.25) as the vegetable and shrimp lacked crispiness.
Ending the meal on a sweet note, two chunks of tamago (egg omellette -$3) sushi was a great choice. During my eating adventures in Tokyo, I learned that it takes a very skilled chef to master this multiple layered egg piece.
After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2004 with a business degree, Fuji worked in corporate American but did not feel appreciated. He attend California Culinary Academy and receive a degree in Hospitality Restaurant and Management. After working for notably Nobu in Las Vegas, he took (his) skills and decided to dedicate his full effort (to) mange his family restaurants. Fuji said, “it’s the instant gratification that you just made someone’s day by providing them with a memorable experience.” The biggest challenge for the young owner is managing people during the long hours of operation.
Eric Fuji admits that his parents would rather he work in a career that was required less hours of work, he firmly admits that he choose this path because he is passionate about the work.
Despite working long hours, Eric Fuji appreciates that his dad took time to attend his son’s baskeball games and cello concerts. His goals is to work hard to keep the legacy.
Currently, the Fuji family has an additional Ebisu sushi restaurant at San Francisco International airport as well as a noodle restaurant Hotei located across from Ebisu on 9th Avenue.
He advises that the restaurant business has a trickle down effect. The first is to keep the employees happy and this leads to satisfied customers which correlates to good business.
One major reason for the success of Ebisu has been Steve Fuji’s prescence in the restaurants. Eric Fuji believes that the owner to customer interaction is vital to building personal relationships. This includes the Fujis’ making their customers feel welcome and special.
Fuji prides himself especially since the restaurant is one of a handful of Japananese owned Japanese restaurants in the city.
In an attempt to show appreciation for loyal returning customers, a reward program has been established. Unique sushi dishes also sets them apart, including live uni (sea urchin) and whole Aji (Spanish mackerel).
While Fuji enjoys not having to climb the corporate ladder, there are many disadvantages of owning his own business including stress and being constantly on call. He exclaimed, “forget about taking a vacation” and finds hiring reliable people the most difficult challenge.
